COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired forward Paul Thompson from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Spencer Machacek, club General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced today. Thompson, 25, has been assigned to the American Hockey League’s Springfield Falcons.

A native of Derry, New Hampshire, Thompson has scored 35 goals and dished out 29 assists for 64 points in 170 career AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. He has tallied 4-3-7 in addition to 50 penalty minutes in 39 games played with Wilkes-Barre Scranton this season.

Prior to turning pro, Thompson spent four seasons (2007-11) at the University of New Hampshire. The 6-1, 198-pound forward recorded 57-55-112 during his 140-game NCAA career. He was named Hockey East’s Player of the Year in 2010-11 after leading the conference in scoring with 28-24-52 in 39 games played for the Wildcats.

Machacek, 25, has recorded 9-10-19 in 34 games with the Falcons this season. Atlanta’s first pick, 67th overall, at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Machacek has tallied 2-7-9 in 25 career NHL games with the Jets/Thrashers franchise and 107-151-258 in 393 career AHL games with Springfield, Chicago and St. John’s. Columbus acquired his rights from Winnipeg on March 10, 2013 in exchange for forward Tomas Kubalik.

The Blue Jackets return to action on Thursday when they visit the Los Angeles Kings. Game time from STAPLES Center is set for 10:30 p.m. ET with live coverage on FOX Sports Ohio beginning with the Blue Jackets Live pre-game show at 10 p.m. The game will also be broadcast live on the Blue Jackets Radio Network, including flagship station Sports Radio 97.1 The Fan, and online at BlueJackets.com.

Single game tickets for all Blue Jackets home games at Nationwide Arena are on sale now. Full and partial season tickets for the duration of the Blue Jackets’ 2013-14 campaign also are available for purchase. Information on all CBJ ticketing options can be obtained by calling (800) NHL‐COLS or by visiting BlueJackets.com.